Josee, the Tiger and the Fish

[Stark700]

Seiko Tanabe’s “Josee, the Tiger and the Fish” novel will be receiving an anime film adaptation from studio Bones in 2020.

Source
https://moetron.net/post/18942857844...r-and-the-fish

[Frontier]

Is this a romance novel?

[iko_uwais]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jose...r_and_the_Fish

Was adapted into a live action film before

[Kazu-kun]

I really hate this kind of stories that uses a person with a disability as a plot device. Show some balls and make them the protagonist of the story, dammit.

[iko_uwais]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

I really hate this kind of stories that uses a person with a disability as a plot device. Show some balls and make them the protagonist of the story, dammit.

Maybe you should watched the live action film or read the novel first before commenting like that. Josee is not a plot device nor is she put on a pedestal in this story. This isn't some cheap teenage romance novel, it was made by legendary novelist seiko tanabe, who was given an order of culture award in 2008. The live action movie was also critically acclaimed. Also, the novel was published in 1985, before the age of light novels

[Stark700]

Coming in Summer 2020 this year

https://twitter.com/joseetora_movie/...32155690500096

[iko_uwais]

YouTube

https://youtu.be/P5LLhoKfI1E

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Looks pretty good

[Last Sinner]

Interesting. This is one to keep my eye on.

[iko_uwais]

YouTube

https://youtu.be/UqroXVubLzI

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[Kanon]

A bit too much crying but this looks really interesting.

[Last Sinner]

Did I see Evan Call in the credits? From memory, they did the soundtrack to Hakumei and Mikochi. There should be some very nice rustic music if they are involved in this.

[iko_uwais]

Originally Posted by Last Sinner

Did I see Evan Call in the credits? From memory, they did the soundtrack to Hakumei and Mikochi. There should be some very nice rustic music if they are involved in this.

Evan Call is a guy
https://myanimelist.net/people/32281/Evan_Call

[EroKing]

[TinyRedLeaf]

I've been looking forward to this movie for a while. It opened in Singapore on April 29, 2021, and I watched it on the big screen tonight.

I liked it! It's a very strong 3.5/5, or maybe even a 4/5.

Based on what I've read of the synopses of the novel and the earlier live-action movie, I would say this project made many significant changes that were well-executed and necessary for ensuring that the story is suited for animation. But there were, in my opinion, a few missed opportunities. It could have been an even stronger story, had the writing been more skilful.

But what you do have is a perfectly serviceable story with a bright message. It's well worth a watch!

[Cosmic Eagle]

Which reminds me, this is still on my backlog....

[Last Sinner]

Is it even available? Certainly didn't get any cinema time in Australia and I don't see it showing as streaming.

[Cosmic Eagle]

Originally Posted by Last Sinner

Is it even available? Certainly didn't get any cinema time in Australia and I don't see it showing as streaming.

The BD's out on August 21. I missed the JP airing

[Last Sinner]

Duly noted. Will keep an eye out for it in September.

[TinyRedLeaf]

I would add that as someone who generally prefers gritty, more serious, contemplative stories, I tend to react negatively to anime adaptations that present the world and reality in idealised, "and they lived happily ever after" tones. So I'm actually surprised at myself for enjoying Josee, while disliking similar movies like A Silent Voice, or even Your Name.

I think it's mainly because this version of Josee felt sincere and authentic to me, in a way those two other movies did not.

I just found the original 2003 live-action movie floating about on the interwebs, so I'm going to give that a watch, too, to see how it differs from the anime adaptation. On first impression, it seems that the original movie is closer in tone to the short story by the late Seiko Tanabe.

An important departure to note is that the protagonist in the anime, Tsuneo, is completely different, and completely idealised. In the original movie, he's actually more of a fickle womaniser, which is also apparently how he was like in the original story.

That's an important thing to keep in mind, because of the explicit reference to the works of the late French novelist and playwright Francoise Sagan. Josee, the female protagonist, takes her nickname from one of Sagan's characters. I've never read Sagan, but from what I can tell, she was most famous for setting her stories in the sexually amoral backdrop of a fast-modernising French and Parisian culture.

So, as I mentioned earlier, the anime movie has been substantially changed to suit its younger target audience. It's brighter, and more optimistic, but without being too contrived — at least, not to me. But it's so different from its source material that I would say it's better described as being "inspired" by the original short story than being "based on it". Both will have to be judged on their own merits.


EDIT (added May 4, 2021):

I've watched the original 2003 movie in full, and I liked it, too. But it's more of an arthouse film with a bittersweet ending and, if its box-office numbers are to be believed, it struggled to find a wider audience. The original movie did get some good critical reviews, though, underscoring the tensions and difficulties in balancing popular appeal and in-depth storytelling.

I want to jot down my key takeaways before the impressions fade away. I'll start with this quote, from earlier in this thread:

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

I really hate this kind of stories that uses a person with a disability as a plot device.

Spoiler for thoughts on the anime and original movie; it's a long read:

^ I know what you mean. This was possibly one of the reasons why I was irrirated with A Silent Voice, almost from beginning to end. Don't get me wrong: That was a gorgeous movie, and I appreciate that it dealt with the very important issues of living with disability, ostracism, and depression. A Silent Voice deserves its accolades.

But even so, I personally disliked how the movie sets up the deaf-mute protagonist Shoko Nishimiya as someone to be pitied, and in need of external help in order to survive. She was virtually robbed of agency, as even her best attempts were crushed by the cruelty around her.

So, ironically, I didn't find that movie life-affirming.

I recently interviewed the co-founder of a local charity that runs reading and language art classes for children of less-privileged families. I asked her what she had learnt in the years since she started the classes, and whether she had to change any preconceptions on the kinds of help the children really needed.

She was momentarily taken aback by the question. She's a lawyer by training, and she runs a successful practice. She and her co-founder are very comfortably upper middle class. They both heard the calling to help the less fortunate, and so they did.

She replied that she's never been asked that question so directly, but she said, after some thought, that the biggest lesson she learnt was not to approach the children as though she was their "saviour".

The underlying point is simple: The less fortunate don't want your pity. What they want is validation. Validation of their self-worth, in spite of everything they might lack. They don't want to be treated differently, especially not by individuals who are better off than them, because it's condescending and, in some cases, even insulting.

They want to be loved for who they are, and what they can give — just like what you'd expect from your equally fortunate peers.

So, on reflection, I believe that's why I enjoyed Josee, the anime adaptation, much more than I'd expected. Structurally and thematically, it's very predictable — much more so than A Silent Voice for that matter. But I greatly enjoyed how anime-Josee retained much of her agency throughout the movie. Yes, she's disabled, and needs help with basic activities. More importantly, though, she's also a source of strength to anime-Tsuneo, especially after a life-changing moment that temporarily put him on equal terms with her.

In other words, anime-Josee is a full-fledged character in her own right. While she was initially confined by her disability, she wasn't defined by it either. And that instantly made her a much more appealing character to me. You'll like her for who she is, and her disability would just become an afterthought.


As I mentioned before, though, the anime makes major departures from the original movie, and ended up missing significant opportunities.

Spoiler for thoughts on the original 2003 movie:

The most critical missed opportunity lies in the reference to the novels of Francoise Sagan. Sagan’s novels caused a stir in France when they were first published. She was among the first to write about young girls who actively pursued and engaged in pre-marital sex. It scandalised the then-conservative Catholic French, but the larger point that really got people thinking was the idea that girls could justifiably take the initiative in pursuing their own love interests — instead of waiting to be courted by ravishing men.

Good Catholic girls are not supposed to behave that way, or so the thinking used to go.

The Josee of the 2003 movie was such a girl: strong-willed, witty, intelligent, self-educated, a good cook, and also quite pretty. Had she been any other ordinary girl, she would have been a terrific prospect for a girlfriend or even a marriage partner.

But, she's disabled. And she was trapped at home by a caregiver who meant well, but who would constantly remind her that she's "damaged goods", and should therefore not reach for things meant only for the able-bodied.

Disabled people are not supposed to want such things, or so the thinking used to go.

That did not stop movie-Josee from reaching out. And eventually, she found a romantic partner in movie-Tsuneo. They were a happy couple but, from the beginning, she knew their relationship would not last because, ironically, movie-Tsuneo lacked backbone.

He fell in love with her but, in the end, as he realised the enormity of what a future with her might mean, he chickened out. They ended their relationship amicably.

But curiously, it was movie-Tsuneo who was heartbroken. Movie-Josee, on the other hand, emerged stronger than before, because she had pursued what she wanted and was content. It was better to have loved, than not at all.

So, the nuanced story in the original movie did not survive the anime adaptation, and the anime became weaker overall as a result.

But just like how A Silent Voice is a strong movie, despite my personal misgivings with it, Josee (2020) is very much the same. Except that I found more to enjoy in Josee’s simplicity and earnestness. It’s a simple story told simply and wonderfully, and I hope it’ll do better commercially than the 2003 original at the very least.

[Last Sinner]

It appears that Josee is getting a cinema run in Australia soon. O guess I'll give it a go given I doubt anything else will get me to go to a cinema this year.

Edit: Saw it on opening day in Australia. Posting my thoughts in spoiler tags since it is nigh impossible to discuss in a non-spoiler way.

Spoiler for Thoughts on this film:

Okay, it was decent. Maybe a 7.5/10? It felt like Garden of Words lite, in the sense that there is an aspect of two people who benefitted from encountering each other and found direction. Also that at times, it has a good aesthetic in terms of environment.

But...if there's one thing that lets this down, it's the characters that aren't Tsuneo and Josee. They are very forgettable. Mai is just petty and is only in this to be a catalyst to spur on Josee to keep persisting. The other males are even more forgettable. The granny...also feels like a mere inhibitor presence that literally keels over once Josee starts to find her way. Tsuneo and Josee are it for this film.

Josee is initially a real brat. Tsuneo has a very unique dream. It ends up being the way he is able to connect with Josee, through their mutual love of the sea. There is a very cool sequence that portrays Josee as a mermaid, which becomes important later on. The 'tigers' in the film title represent how Josee sees other people, which is displayed through how others treat her the first time she tries to venture on something significant. (The middle aged woman who lashes bag at the male jerk in this scene was priceless.)

Josee's love of books is her clear motivation and artwork is her clear motivation. Tsuneo's almost seems flippant in comparison, but it keeps him motivated and active, so can't knock him for it.

The 'major drama' part almost feels like someone let Mari Okada into this for 15 minutes and...it is so very awkward...Everyone turns in a melodramatic mess and it is hard to believe. This is where Mai becomes truly unbearable. I almost wondered whether it would truly derail this film.

Thankfully, no. Josee eventually gets motivated despite the setbacks and uses the opportunity to get Tsuneo out of his slump after his major setback. Josee is determined to move forward on her own despite her feels, Tsuneo doesn't want to give up. And in a repeat of the opening minutes, 'The Catch' gets an epic sequel. The confession scene that results is corny but believable. And a couple is born. Cue more scenes in the credits.

Evan Call's music is spot on, as expected. He really knows how to accentuate a scene or seamlessly slip into the background of it. Josee's VA almost sounded familiar then I learned it was only her second role, which surprised me. Josee is a rare case of a character that has a major hindrance being given the spotlight and it is portrayed well. You grow to appreciate her journey from being an ingrate to finding it within her to move forward.

But with a deadweight cast beyond the main duo, a very no twists/plain as day story and one where emotion was either absent or forced at times, it always felt like it was punching from below.

It was worth seeing. I could watch it again. But it really felt like Garden of Words lite with Okada being set loose temporarily.